Where/How I Find New Music
I’m searching for new music constantly, which means that I have garnered a pretty good sense of where to find good new music months before it blows up on the radio. Below are my four favorite ways of discovering new music:
1. Spotify
1. Spotify
Spotify is the most low-effort of all of these options. If you’re an avid Spotify listener like me, then you’re probably already aware of a wonderful thing known as “Release Radar”. This is a Spotify-curated weekly playlist that is tailored to your listening habits. Often times, it will include new releases from artists that you listen to frequently and music that is similar to what you’ve added to your liked songs/playlists. As a lazy teenager, I appreciate this greatly. A playlist full of music suggestions released every Friday that is directly tailored to my listening habits? Please and thank you.
2. YouTube
This is another one that is relatively easy. YouTube has a good way of recommending videos that are similar to the ones you watch regularly. I like to start my listening to bands and musicians that are less well-known, and then simply click on what is recommended from there. Many times, YouTube will recommend musicians that are a similar level of popular, if you will, which makes it easy to find great new music that hasn’t been discovered by many others just yet. Finding new music on YouTube can require more time, however, as it is all too easy to fall down the rabbit hole of endless music videos.
3. Instagram
With the endless updating of apps, there really isn’t anything that Instagram can’t do. I obviously follow lots of bands and musicians on the platform, and with promoted posts, it’s become easier and easier to discover new favorites. Similar to many others who are attempting to gain a following, up and coming bands will often follow random people in an attempt to gain followers in return. So, in some instances, you really don’t have to do any work at all; all you have to do is look into the bands that request to follow you in the hope that you’ll enjoy their music and support them in return.
4. Other Music Journalists
These people are incredibly informed. It is literally their job to be educated and aware of all types of musicians and bands, which is why it is such a good idea to look into other music journalists and blogs to see who they have already discovered and what they are listening to. In many ways, they do all the heavy lifting for you, and all you really have to do is plug your headphones in and take a listen.
Next time your friends ask you for new music recommendations, don’t give them a list of the top 40, but instead introduce them to the new, up-and-coming artists that you’ve discovered, and in 6-12 months, you too can be the person who yells about how you listened to them before they were mainstream.
2. YouTube
This is another one that is relatively easy. YouTube has a good way of recommending videos that are similar to the ones you watch regularly. I like to start my listening to bands and musicians that are less well-known, and then simply click on what is recommended from there. Many times, YouTube will recommend musicians that are a similar level of popular, if you will, which makes it easy to find great new music that hasn’t been discovered by many others just yet. Finding new music on YouTube can require more time, however, as it is all too easy to fall down the rabbit hole of endless music videos.
3. Instagram
With the endless updating of apps, there really isn’t anything that Instagram can’t do. I obviously follow lots of bands and musicians on the platform, and with promoted posts, it’s become easier and easier to discover new favorites. Similar to many others who are attempting to gain a following, up and coming bands will often follow random people in an attempt to gain followers in return. So, in some instances, you really don’t have to do any work at all; all you have to do is look into the bands that request to follow you in the hope that you’ll enjoy their music and support them in return.
4. Other Music Journalists
These people are incredibly informed. It is literally their job to be educated and aware of all types of musicians and bands, which is why it is such a good idea to look into other music journalists and blogs to see who they have already discovered and what they are listening to. In many ways, they do all the heavy lifting for you, and all you really have to do is plug your headphones in and take a listen.
Next time your friends ask you for new music recommendations, don’t give them a list of the top 40, but instead introduce them to the new, up-and-coming artists that you’ve discovered, and in 6-12 months, you too can be the person who yells about how you listened to them before they were mainstream.
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